"I don't know how to approach this. This is the weird thing about these interviews. I'm going to sound like an idiot," Pattinson said.

One reason he may be so tongue tied is that Pattinson, 26, does not employ a PR flack, as almost every other star of his wattage does, to help guide them through any tricky public scandals that may arise.

"Normally actors get scripted with an anecdote," Pattinson said. "I'm going to hire a publicist!"

Pattinson has been out of the spotlight since US Weekly printed photos of Kristen Stewart and "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders smooching in public, which were quickly followed by public apologies from the illicit kissers.

On the red carpet earlier on Monday, an upbeat Pattison wasn't asked directly about the cheating scandal -- media were limited on the number of questions they could ask -- but he talked at one point about the movie's steamy sex scenes.

"I feel a little uncomfortable doing that. But I mean, some of the scenes in this were like complicated acting scenes, like during a sex scene which makes it -- it's a very strange experience," he said with a smile.

Work obligations often force celebrities out of hiding after challenging personal situations, but choosing how and where to make a comeback is often a carefully calculated move.

"There's no one show that's the right answer for everyone," said veteran publicist Howard Bragman, now vice chairman of Reputation.com. "The right answer is the one where you think you're going to get the most respect, the fairest hearing and the best presentation -- and potentially where you've had the best relationships in the past."

When Pattinson chatted with Jon Stewart in 2010, the comedian invited him to return, saying, "You are making me cooler."